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Why do women flee?

Refugee women have shown tremendous courage and have fled unimaginable persecution to seek safety for themselves and their children. Rose fled from her homeland after being imprisoned and tortured:

Rose

"My partner and I were accused of helping the opposition party. I was terrified. We were arrested and taken to a torture room. The guards killed my partner.

"I was imprisoned for months. Every day they raped me. The guards made me eat faeces. I was scared for my life. I felt so humiliated."

Like Rose, many women who flee to Britain have suffered horrific sexual violence, often at the hands of soldiers.

Refugee women often suffer persecution because of their political beliefs or because they have stood up for the rights of others.

Refugee women in Britain

For refugee women who flee to Britain life can be very hard. Many are isolated and away from friends and families, often struggling to bring up children with no support. As well as this many are trying to come to terms with the violence and fear they have left behind.

A number have seen their husbands and other family members killed. Many have lost loved ones, and some have been separated from their children, like Selima

Selima

"When I arrived here, it was like being dropped in the ocean. I couldn’t bear to live without my children. I got very depressed and tried to kill myself." Selima

For many refugee women, the isolation they face having sought safety in the UK is almost unbearable. Read Sara's story to see the problems one woman from Iran faced when she sought asylum here.

How we help

Refugee Action works with refugee women in many ways. We help women to set up local networks so they can support each other and make friends. We give women the advice and support they need to look to the future. Read more>

Refugee women have told us how important a women-only space is - where they can feel safe and share their experiences. Because of this we set up a pilot women's project which became a lifeline for women like Farishta, from Afghanistan:

"I can't tell you how helpful the women's project has been. Before the project, I just stayed in my flat, too scared to go out. I felt I had no future, no friends, no family, nothing. I never saw this life for myself, I never ever expected this. Without the help of the project I would have gone mad."

The pilot project was so successful that we have now developed a specific three year project, the Women's Development Project, to support refugee women. It has just reached the end of its first year and it offers women a safe space to come to terms with the issues they have faced and a place to learn new skills, such as English language training or training in computer skills. It also gives women information and support so they can get the healthcare and counselling they need so they can begin to find a sense of peace and a sense of physical and emotional wellbeing.

The project also gives women the chance to meet other refugee women and allow their children to recover a sense of normality and remember how to play.

How YOU can help

Please make a donation to help Refugee Action give support to refugee women like Rose who have endured so much.

(copyright) Refugee Action 2006. No part of the contents of this page may be reproduced without prior permission. Some details and photos have been changed to protect women's identities.

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